New Year's Eve (and Day)

New Year's Eve Day I ran around a little bit. I had to run to Wal-Mart to fill a prescription, and then to the liquor store for a hostess gift for Martina, since I was going to her house for dinner. I got home and worked on some ATC's. I finished the trial ATC for the Red and White for February ATC Swap, and am fairly happy with it. I made several attempts at an ATC to mount the charm on for the Romancing the Charm Swap. I was not happy with any of those, so I think I might try to Photoshop something. Lastly, I drew up and started to cut out hedgehog shapes for the Hedgehog ATC Swap. I think those little hedgehogs are turning out very well.

Red & White for February ATC (maybe)

For New Year's Eve, I went to dinner at Martina's house. She was having a little get together with some people from Marty's work, so she invited me and Brenda. Marty invited two couples, and Brenda brought Bill and Matt. Chloe, Marty's daughter, was there also. Cocktail hour started at 7, with dinner at 8. For hors d'oeuvres, she had shrimp cocktail, pita bread and hummus, BLT dip, vegetable sticks, and pepperoni and cheese. For dinner, she served a nice salad with french bread, roast beef tenderloin, crab cakes, baked potatoes, and green beans. Dessert was meringue topped with strawberries. It was all very nice.

Change of ATC's

Today, I wasn't as productive as I had hoped I could be, but I did get something done. After posting my photo for the Four Elements ATC's, and getting the feedback I needed, I changed two of them. I added more contrast to "Water" and started over on "Earth." I think they turned out well.

Water and Earth

Now, the whole series has a more consistent look to it (aside from "Fire" being vertical).

The Four Elements ATC Swap

I did send out the ATC for the 2009 Birthday ATC Swap (January), which had to go to the United Kingdom, and got envelopes together to mail out for a couple of other swaps.

The Four Elements & Birthday ATCs

Today I worked on ATC's for the swaps I'm signed up for. First off, I made extra Cancelled Christmas Postage Stamp ATC's for my sister and myself. Then I worked on my idea for the Four Elements ATC Swap. I really like one of them, two of them are pretty good, and the fourth needs something, but I'm not sure what. Please help me out, leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the set, or any ideas that might work for "Earth." I also made my first ATC for the 2009 Birthday ATC Swap.
When I got home from work, I started work on one of the spare ATC's from the ButtonMania ATC Swap from way back when (I try to make an extra whenever I can, usually one for my own "records" and one for my sister), and a trial ATC for the Red and White for February ATC Swap (which I am not signed up for, yet).

The Four Elements ATC's

2009 Birthday ATC (January)

Ravens vs. Jaguars

Tonight's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was an important one for us - it would determine whether or not the Ravens go to the playoffs this year. Fortunately, the Ravens won, 7-27. The game was pretty exciting because of how important it was. The team played well, and of course, the band was terrific. For halftime, all we did was march onto the field and form a "1958," because the halftime show was a tribute to the 1958 Baltimore Colts, today being the fifty year anniversary of "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the championship game between the Colts and the New York Giants. That game brought football into the public eye like it had never been before, and boosted the sport's popularity considerably. As many survivors of that team as possible were present to be honored, and it was really quite touching to hear the cheers from the crowd for players like Art Donovan and Lenny Moore.

The Day After...

The day after Christmas was a lot more eventful than Christmas itself. Donnie and I went on our annual movie outing, and saw "Doubt." It was good, better than I expected. It was not a movie I would normally watch, but with the time constraints that I had, it was what would fit. Then I had to head out to a pep band gig.
The pep band played for the 1958 Colts Championship Gala. In reality, we set up outside of the stadium, at the entrance where people were lined up to get in to the festivities, and played music for them. It kind of sucked, since we had no knowledge of what was going on beforehand. It was also cold, and there was nowhere to take a potty break. I think I would have enjoyed myself more if I had known ahead of time what to expect.
Then, on the way home, I picked up dinner from Popeye's, and later that evening, we watched another DVD, "Charlie Wilson's War." That movie was better than I had expected, too.

Christmas 2008

Christmas at my house was a toned down affair. Donnie arrived around lunch time, and we opened gifts. I started to prepare dinner shortly after we cleaned everything up. This year, I fixed some shrimp chips and chai gio to munch on while waiting for dinner, then for dinner, a honey-mustard glazed ham, wax beans, and potatoes (both mashed and baked). Afterwards, we sat down and watched a DVD, Wall-E. It wasn't a crazy Christmas, but it was pleasant.

My First Day Off...

My first day off for the Christmas holiday was fairly productive, but in mostly a crafty sense. After loading the dishwasher and putting lights on the tree, I sat myself down in front of the television, popped in a movie (or three), and worked on ATC's all day. I completed all of my ATCs' for the Cancelled Christmas Postage Stamp Swap and the Recycled Christmas Card ATC Swap. I finished enough Recycled Christmas Card ATC's, so that I could join two of them! I am quite pleased with my productivity.

Cancelled Christmas Postage Stamp ATC's

Recycled Christmas Card ATC's

Huber Cookie Day 2008

Today was Christmas Cookie Day at Huber. Last night, I stayed up until after midnight finishing up two batches of cookies to bring to work. Wouldn't you know it, when I got to work, I found out that I was the only one who brought cookies! I feel kind of sad that the holiday spirit didn't carry on through this week, and the only reason why I didn't take one of my remaining vacation days today was exclusively because it was Cookie Day. But, on the good side, and there almost always is a good side, all of my cookies were eaten. I'm sorry that I didn't have enough left over to bring to work at Tidewater this evening, but I'm glad that people enjoyed the cookies enough to eat them up. I brought Cinnamon Crisps and Eggnog Cookies. I found the Cinnamon Crisp recipe on the label of a really old can of evaporated milk that I found in my pantry during the Thanksgiving holiday, and Tom really enjoyed them. The Eggnog Cookie recipe I got from Heather Ales' blog. These also got a thumbs up from Tom, but he said they were rich, meaning he couldn't pig out on them.

Cinnamon Crisps

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup PET Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, cream shortening and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture then the evaporated milk and then the remaining flour mixture; mix after each addition. Form rounded teaspoons of dough into a ball and roll in sugar. Place on greased baking sheets then flatten into a 1/8-inch thick circle. Bake for 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Eggnog Cookies

1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cream sugar and butter until light. Add eggnog, vanilla, and egg yolks; beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until just combined. Do not over mix. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake 15 to 17 minutes until bottoms turn light brown.

Dinner at Price's

Tonight, I had dinner with a bunch of old Tidewater Grille people. Ernie and Helen, the previous owners of the resturant, invited a bunch of the old-timers to Price's Seafood for dinner. Let's see, who showed up? Ruth (the former bookkeeper), Chris K. (a former chef), Steve (Ernie's younger brother and dishwasher), Joyce (one of Ernie's sisters), Sandy (a dishwasher), Brenda (a former manager), Bill (Brenda's husband), Brian (Brenda's oldest son and former food runner), Olga (a former waitress), Tracy (Olga's husband), and Matt and Melanie (Olga's children). While we were there, David (a current bartender) and Huggy (a regular bar patron) showed up and joined the festivities. On top of all that, Mark (Ernie and Helen's old partner at the Tidewater), Deward (a former cook), and Theresa (a former manager and waitress), who currently own and operate Price's Seafood, were on hand to make it an extra special night. It sure was nice to get together with everyone, I wish that I could see them more often.
For you foodies out there, I shared a soup sampler (which included Cream of Crab, Maryland Crab, and Mark's Oyster Stew), Crab Dip with pretzel pieces and vegetable sticks, and Fried Calamari with Brenda and her family. Steamed crabs with tons of Old Bay and a Seafood Sampler (with mussels, clams, and shrimp) were brought for everyone, and I shared fried Crab Cakes with Brenda and family.

I've Got My Own Crafting Space!!

Tom took me downstairs this afternoon to show me my Christmas present - I'm not sure why it had to be today, but... Much to my surprise, he had given over a desk and some wall space for me to have for crafting. He'd gotten drawers on wheels and bins, and I spent the next couple of hours emptying out my closet, and filling the bins. We'll still need more organizational tools, but it's a good start.

Favorite Dessert Recipe Card Swap

Today, I received the second and final recipe from my partner for the Favorite Dessert Recipe Card Swap. My first partner's recipe(s) arrived earlier this week. Anna sent me three recipes: Holiday Peppermint Fudge, Billini, and Creme Brulee French Toast. My second partner, Debi, sent me Luscious Lime Cheesecake and Pecan Delites. I am ready to try them all!

Holiday Peppermint Fudge

4 cups sugar
2 5-oz. cans evaporated milk
1 cup butter
2 cups semi-sweet choclate chips
7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2/3 cup red and white peppermint candies, broken

Combine sugar, milk and butter in a heavy 3-quart saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium; heat and stir for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; add chocolate chips, marshmallow creme and peppermint extract. Stir until chocolate and creme are melted and mixture is smooth; pour into a buttered aluminum foil lined 13"x9" baking pan. Sprinkle with candies; cover and refrigerate until set. Cut into squares to serve. Make 5 to 6 dozen.

Billini

1 loaf (18-20 slices) of thinly sliced white bread
1/2 lb. cream cheese
1 yolk of an egg
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 sticks of butter
sugar-cinnamon mixture
1/4 cup sugar

Cut off crusts from each piece of bread. Roll bread flat with rolling pin. Mix together cream cheese, sugar and egg yolk. Spread mixture onto each slice of bread covering completely one side. Roll each slice of bread into a log.
Melt 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 sticks of butter. Dip logs into butter and then roll logs in a large dish containing sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake on cookie sheets (with sides) in oven at 350 F for 15 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream.

Creme Brulee French Toast

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
an 8 to 9 inch round loaf country-style bread
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small heavy saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Cut six 1-inch thick slices from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use, and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit.
In a bowl whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours and up to one day.
Preheat oven to 350 F and bring bread to room temperature. Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Luscious Lime Cheesecake

1 18-oz package yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 8-oz cream cheese
1 14-oz condensed milk
2 tsp lime zest + 1/3 c lime juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 8-oz Cool Whip
Lime slices for garnish

Preheat oven to 300 F. Reserve 1/2 c dry cake mix. In large bowl combine cake mix, 1 egg, and oil - mix will be crumbly. Press into greased 13x9 pan - In bowl beat cheese til fluffy - add condensed milk, beat smooth, add remaing eggs and 1/2 c cake mix. Beat one minute. Stir in lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla - pour into prepared crust. Bake 55 minutes - cool room temp - Chill thoroughly - top with Cool Whip and garnish - Enjoy!

Pecan Delites

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup chopped pecans
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup Heath Bits O'Brickle Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.
Stir together confectioner's sugar and flour in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut cream cheese and butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Press mixture into prepared pan, distributing evenly. Pour nuts over mixture and press into dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
For topping, whip cream and granulated sugar together with a hand-held electric mixer until stiff; fold in almond toffee bits. Spread over cake. Cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.

Christmas Luncheon

Today, at Huber (my full-time job), we had our annual Christmas luncheon. I brought a spinach artichoke dip, which I got nothing but compliments on. It was nice to get together with my fellow employees for some holiday cheer, and to see some of the retirees (who are invited every year).

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 bag frozen spinach, with water squeezed out
1 can plain artichokes, drained
butter
minced garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
16 oz cream cheese
2 cups parmesan cheese
2 cups mozarella cheese, divided

Heat oven to 350 F. In a large pan, saute garlic in butter. Stir in spinach, artichokes, mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of mozarella cheese. Mix until well combined. Put spinach mixture into 9x13 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Top with remaining mozarella cheese, and bake until cheese melts.

My Information

The initial intent of this blog is so that I can comment on other people's blogs that don't allow people other than Bloggers to comment. My usual blog can be found at wendyhue.spaces.live.com. On Flickr and Swap-bot, my username is wendyhue. Thanks for visiting.

Ravens vs. Steelers

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Wow, what a disappointing loss! Yesterday was the game that was supposed to push the Ravens higher up on the Playoff scale, but unfortunately, they didn't produce. Not that I mind completely, I'm a Steelers fan from way back. The only reason why I prefer the Ravens over the Steelers in a case such as this, is because if the Ravens were to go to the SuperBowl, there is a slight possibility of them taking the band with them. Either way, we lost 13-9. I'm not sure what that does for our chances at a Wild Card berth, but it can't be good. The band sounded good, though. Our halftime show consisted of School's Out and Mr. Roboto, and Poe (the Ravens mascot) marched out with the band in a band uniform. Too cute!

"Pike's Team" Holiday Luncheon

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Today, we had a holiday luncheon for everyone who works for Kathie. That includes the Lab Support Team, the Analytical Lab, and the Micro Lab. I spent the previous evening making Vietnamese spring rolls, and brought them to the restaurant an hour before the luncheon to get them fried up. I got a lot of compliments on them - I'm glad people liked them. We have another holiday luncheon coming up on Wednesday, for everyone, and I think I'm going to attempt a Spinach Artichoke Dip that Julia from the Tidewater explained how to make. The recipe isn't very exact, so I'm kind of scared to try it, but she swears it's wonderful.

My First Card

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Well, way back on Wednesday, I completed my first handmade greeting card. It was a "Thank You" card for Aunt Ethel and Uncle Lyle for having us over before Thanksgiving. It didn't quite work out the way I had hoped it would, but it looked okay. I've seen other homemade cards on the Internet, and I was hoping to emulate them, but I think that with a little bit more experience, I could do a better job.

Ravens vs. Redskins

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Tonight, I experienced my coldest football game in a long time. How cold was it? It was pretty darn cold. It had to have been close to freezing, since after returning to our cars from the stadium, the can of soda that I'd left in the car for my drive back home turned out to be slushy.
Oh, well, enough about the weather. The Ravens did really well, and defeated the Redskins 10-24. Woo hoo, we're that much closer to playoff games. Our halftime show was comprised of only one song, Bohemian Rhapsody. I'd like to think that the show went well, but we had a guest guitar player, and the guitar feed was supposed to be broadcast throughout the stadium, but I didn't hear it.

An Empty Nest

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Wow! What a holiday week! I'm very sad to see everyone go, since I don't see anyone on a regular basis (except Tom, of course). Last Friday, I started my Thanksgiving Week Family Extravaganza. Mom and Dad flew in from Utah, and I fixed them dinner that evening. On Sunday, while I was at the Ravens-Eagles game, Wanda and her family arrived. Wednesday, all of us except Tom (he had to work), drove up to Greensburg, Pennsylvania to visit Aunt Ethel and Uncle Lyle. We were also joined by our cousin Debbie, her daughter, Cathy, Cathy's fiance, Marty, and their Japanese exchange student Ai-Yu (pronounced I-U, I've probably spelled it wrong). Thursday, Donnie drove up from Virginia, and for dinner we were joined by Nathan and Bridget (Tom's son and his girlfriend). Saturday, Wanda and her family left, and shortly afterwards, Donnie left for home. Then, on Sunday, Mom, Dad, and I went down to Virginia to see Donnie's apartment. We ate lunch at Mai Thai in Old Town in Alexandria, and visited the Newseum in Washington, DC. After watching the Steelers-Patriots game at Donnie's place, we left and stopped at our cousin Duane's in Columbia, Maryland. We visited with Duane, Teresa, and their younger daughter, Kimi, for a while, then went home. I had to return to a normal work schedule on Monday, and on Tuesday (today), Mom and Dad left. It was so nice to see everyone, and I feel guilty for not seeing some of the family that are so close more often. Maybe I'll make it a New Year's Resolution to get out and visit family more often.

Yeah, More Jams!

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Now, I forgot to post when I received the first of these two CD's from the Jingle Bell Jams, but I think I received it on Wednesday, before I left for Silver Bella, and I had band, and was busy packing. It was the one from Vivian. Hers was wrapped prettily with a ribbon and bell. Then, when I returned from Silver Bella, I found another CD had arrived for me. This one was from Dani (I had participated in her 2008 Halloween ATC Swap). I think I have received the majority of the CD's from that swap, and I will be ready soon to break them open and enjoy the sounds of the season!

Back from Silver Bella

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.


Did I mention that I was going to Omaha for Silver Bella? Well, if I didn't, you must not have noticed that I was gone ;-) I got back Monday, after having a pretty decent time in Omaha. I left Thursday morning, and all of my flights went well. That was the first day that I had flown in a smaller jet, and despite what Tom thinks of them, I thought the flights went well. They didn't feel any bumpier than a big jet. So when I got to Omaha, Wanda's flight was coming in about 20 minutes later and four gates over, so I stuck around and tried to embarrass her while she was getting off of the plane, but my camera didn't take the picture - probably too busy auto-focusing. She introduced me to a bunch of ladies she'd met in Denver on the way up, and we went to get our luggage. While waiting for the shuttle from the hotel, we met a few other Bellas. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in the Old Market District, and it was beautiful. I just loved the courtyard interior, with streams and waterfalls, fountains and Koi. After checking in, we enjoyed the Manager's Happy Hour before the Meet and Greet, which was right before the Welcome Dinner Buffet. Immediately after the dinner, a group workshop was held at the dinner tables, and I finished my project! When Wanda and I returned to our room, we finished pricing and packaging a bunch of items for Wanda's booth at the Vendor Fair, and got to bed way too late.
The next morning started around 6 am, so that we could enjoy the complimentary breakfast bar before the classes started at 8 am. I ate a large breakfast, and boy was that a good idea, because there was not much time for lunch. I started out with the Better Backgrounds class, where I completed two collages. The next class was Do You ATC What I ATC?, where we started to make books to hold ATC's with. I completed the cover, but the rest will have to wait. My last class of the day was Winter Faerie Shrine. I almost completed the project in that class, but I'm not completely happy with it, so I hope to start anew and make one that I'm more pleased with. The evening ended with the Vendor Fair and Bella Prom. After a slow start, Wanda's booth had a nice, steady flow of business, and I'm quite impressed with the amount of stuff she sold. There were hors d'oeuvres being served, but by the time I got to serve myself, there wasn't much available, so that's why a big breakfast is always important. The Vendor Fair was over at 11 pm, so we packed up, headed back to the room, and crashed.
The next day started out pretty much the same, except a half hour later. The breakfast bar was good, and I ate big again. My first class was Tiny Treasures, and I just about finished two out of three of the projects provided. We then attended a luncheon where Mary Englebreit was the speaker, and I got an autograph before heading to my next class, which was Holiday Home Tour. In that class, we made little paper houses, and embellished them. I think this was my favorite class. I finished one house, and started a second. Afterwards, Wanda and I joined Carol and Marion (our meal partners all weekends) and went for a walk in the Old Market District. We took a horse carriage ride and had dinner at the Spaghetti Works where I had a combo platter with eggplant parmesan and fettucini alfredo and tirimisu for dessert. We stopped at an antique store, Second Chance, and did a little shopping before heading back to the hotel for the night.
The next morning, after breakfast and packing, Wanda left for the airport. I stayed in the room until check-out time, then camped out in the lobby where I read, slept, and listened to the water gurgling around me. When I got to the airport, those of us on my flight were notified that we were being delayed until 6 pm due to weather in Newark. At 6, when the captain did a walk around, he found an oil leak, so we were delayed another two hours. We finally arrived in Newark just before midnight, and luckily Continental put us up in a hotel for the night (the Wyndham Gardens Hotel). The next morning, I found out that the flight to Baltimore that I was booked on was oversold, and I was on the standby list. That sucked, because the guy in Omaha said that we'd be guaranteed a flight in the morning. Luckily, someone was willing to give up their seats for a $300 travel package from Continental, and I got back to Baltimore around 9:30, instead of having to catch the 1:20 flight.
Now that I'm back, I'm ready to do some crafting that's in a whole new league from what I've been doing - inspiration has it's perks!

Jingle All the Way

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Amidst my hectic work schedule, cleaning the house for the upcoming holiday and promised visitors, and getting ready for Silver Bella, I forgot to post that two days ago I received my Jingle Bell Jam from Lance in Texas. The CD is filled with an artist I've never heard of before, and the the titles of the songs make me think that they're all original songs - so I'm really looking forward to listening to this CD.

Jingle Bell Jams, and an ATC

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Yesterday, I finally mailed out my CD's for the Jingle Bell Jams. I like my product and how it looks, and I hope that everyone in the swap likes it, too. My jam is a mixture of popular music, spanning many decades. The songs were also placed in an order to signify the season: so the CD starts with Adam Sandler's "The Thanksgiving Song" and ends with Bob and Doug McKenzie's "The 12 Days of Christmas." The music isn't as original as in some of the CD's I've already received (you can hear any of them playing on the pop radio stations during the Christmas season) but they are what I enjoy listening to, which was the whole point.
When I got home from work last night, I had a pleasant surprise in the mail. The next CD from the Jingle Bell Jam had arrived. It was from the Parkers in Ohio. The mix on that CD was similar to mine, with old and new songs done by popular artists, but there were enough songs that I haven't heard of to make me look forward to listening to this CD. I also received the final ATC in the ButtonMania ATC Swap. It was from Luz in Oregon, and in addition to the adorable ATC, she included some background papers cut to ATC size.
I have been very pleased with my experience with the swappers on Swap-bot, and look forward to next three swaps I've joined there: an international Christmas card swap, a cancelled Christmas stamp ATC swap, and a recycled Christmas card ATC swap. I hope to use the cards I receive in the first swap for the ATC's in the other two swaps, at least, that's the plan.

More Jingle Bell Jams

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Yesterday, in the mail, I received two more CD's from the Jingle Bell Jams 2008 Swap. These were from Melissa and Marie, both from Pennsylvania. Melissa's jam is full of jazzy favorites, while Marie's is an eclectic mix. I'm sure that I will have a great time listening to their CD's, after, of course, I finish getting my CD's in the mail!

A Champions Tribute to Jim McKay

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Yesterday, the Pep Band participated in a Champions Tribute to Jim McKay. As you know, Jim McKay, the voice of ABC Sports and the Olympics for many years, died in June. The city of Baltimore held a tribute to him last night, with a good number of Maryland Olympic athletes present for the ocassion. As for the band, we played the Star Spangled Banner and the Olympic Fanfare at the beginning of the evening, and Maryland, My Maryland at the end. It was quite exciting to be included in an evening which featured the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Dorothy Hamil, and Michael Phelps, but the in between times, between playing was oh so dull. The band was holed up in a small room, and we had to entertain ourselves for hours on end. I can't even remember what I did prior to warming up, but after we returned to the room after warming up, I learned to play Eucre and Spoons (which we played with cell phones). After a few rounds of Spoons, we played our first few songs for the gathering. After returning to the room, we ate dinner, and played many rounds of Bullshit, until it was time to play at the end of the function. I can't believe how exhausting it was to do absolutely nothing. On the drive home, I had to stop in a parking lot to take a nap, I was that tired. But luckily, I got home in one piece.

Jingle Bell Jam CD

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Today's mail call brought my first CD in the Jingle Bell Jam 2008. This swap is where the ten people in the swap each make nine CD's full of Christmas/holiday music, and send one to each of the other participants. Today's CD was from a gal in Oklahoma, and is chock full of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Mannheim Steamroller. I finished compiling my first CD on Thursday, and gave it to Amy to critique, so if all goes well, I should be sending my CD's out soon.

Final From One Image ATC

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Today, I received the last ATC in the From One Image ATC Swap on Swap-bot. It was from breepre in New Mexico, and was very cute. In addition to the ATC, she had sent some fun paper crafting goodies.



Yesterday, I received a box from Wanda. It was full of fun stuff, which I intend to take to Silver Bella (yes, she finally convinced me to go) in November. Fabric, trims, fancy edged scissors, brooches, a Cuttlebug die set and embossing folder, and a cigar box were among the fun things included in the package.

Good Craft Day

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Today was a good craft day. When I got to work, Amy showed me the ATC's that she had received in the Vintage Halloween ATC Swap (I've posted pictures in the appropriate photo album). Then, when I got home from works, I had received the final ATC from the 1 Photo = 4 ATC's Swap. It was from Judy in North Carolina, and along with the ATC, she sent a bunch of cancelled stamps and some paper crafting goodies. How fun!

Ravens vs. Raiders

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Today's game against the Oakland Raiders was a huge success for the Ravens - they won 10-29. The game was interesting most of the time, I only slept for about five minutes in the 4th quarter. For our pregame show, we mixed it up a bit for Veteran's Day, and ran straight into our USA set, played "America the Beautiful," got live feed from Iraq, which introduced the Star Spangled Banner, then the band moved into a concert set and played "Holiday," which is when a fly-by happened. During practice on Wednesday, we were setting up a big US, with space in between the two letters so that parachuters could land there, but I guess those plans were nixed. For halftime, there was a tribute to Jonathon Ogden - he had retired last year, and was inducted into our Ring of Honor today. For the ceremony, the band just formed a 75, his number.

Unusual Package

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Tonight, after I had returned home from work, I found out that I had received a package. There was no return address, it was an international package, and it was way too big to be any of the remaining ATC's that I'm expecting, so I can only assume that it was a birthday gift from Wanda. The box itself was nicely wrapped in floral paper, and it was full of sewing goodies and notions, in shades of blue, my favorite color. Thank you Wanda, for the nice treat!

Vintage Halloween ATCs Received

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Yea! When I returned home from work tonight, I found out that I had received a package from Wanda of Two Crafty Mules. It contained three wonderful ATC's and an additional packet of goodies from Wanda. The ATC's were by Stephanie, AwtemNymf, and Wanda herself. Thank you, ladies!

The Poster Went Over Well

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

First off, I have to mention that getting 8 hours of sleep a night is something I totally recommend. Last night, when I got home from band, I chatted with Tom for a few minutes, then headed up to bed, since I was pretty tired when I woke up yesterday morning. I can't believe how good I felt when I woke up this morning. I've been subsisting (is that the right word?) off of 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night, getting to work later in the morning than I should, and feeling tired all of the time. Unfortunately, with my work schedule the way it is, I won't be able to do that too often, but it is something to consider in the future. Anyway, back to the reason for blogging today...
Today was the Quality Day function for the plant, and my poster was put on display. I am happy to say that I have had several positive comments about it. They came from Linda, Kathie, and Matt. Linda, of course, is my supervisor, and is the person who gave me the job to do. Kathie is Linda's supervisor, and is in charge of the whole analytical group. Matt is one of the organizers of the function and is the Quality Manager here at Huber. I've been so nervous about it, and keep thinking of things that I should have added or reworded, so I'm glad that everyone was pleased with the product. I also hear that it definitely made the attendees think about the subject of the poster, which is just as important as putting out a good product.

Button Mania Swap Sent!

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Wow, I am pleased to say that my ATC's for the Button Mania ATC Swap on Swap-bot will be sent out when I leave work in a few minutes. I'm very happy with how they turned out, and I hope that my partners enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them! The picture below shows the front and back views. If you unwrap the yarn from the two buttons on the back, the flap lifts up to reveal a pocket which contains a card with my information written on it.

Manic Monday

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Wow, I got so stressed today, it's not even funny. Last week, Linda had given me the task of constructing a poster for Quality Day at the plant this upcoming Thursday. Aside from having no formal microbiology training aside from what I've received at Huber, which was just enough to get me qualified to do the work of everyday testing, I had no idea what the subject was. Well, last Friday, I started to put some things together, and today, I stayed at home and worked on the graphics in PhotoShop, and put everything together in Adobe Illustrator. Some time between 1 and 1:30, I was feeling pretty good about the product I had put together, and thought maybe I was finished. As I was saving the file, an error occured, and nothing saved correctly. Then the scratch disk was full, so I couldn't even view the file the way it was meant to be seen. So I started to freak out, trying to print the file, trying to save the file in different formats, trying to correct what didn't save in a new file. About two hours later, I had a product that was close to what I had "lost." Then, I had to rush to work, get Linda's approval, attempt to e-mail it, but at over 40 MB, it wouldn't do what I wanted, so I had to run to Aberdeen to the printer to give them the file. Luckily, it opened okay on their computer, and I was able to get out of there in time to get to the restaurant on time. What a day!
I also sent out my From One Image ATC Swap items. I had intended to send them out on Saturday, but I got so rushed that I didn't have time to stop at the Post Office before work. Here is the completed product:


The jacket opens up, and I inserted a new piece of art inside of it, but from the same artist as the original image. Kind of fun...

Stay at Home Sunday

This is an old post from my old blog. I intend to transfer them all over to this one.

Today, I volunteered to be cut from the restaurant, since I'd been sick for several days and was feeling pretty run down. I figured that I would work on my ButtonMania ATC's while watching some football, medicating myself with cold and flu medicine, and sprinkling in some naps for good measure. Almost everything went as planned. Tom was supposed to go to the Powerboat Show in Annapolis with his cousin and her husband for the day, but the husband got sick, and they cancelled. So, a peaceful day alone was out of the question. I started out with looking for a flight to Silver Bella in November - yes, Wanda finally convinced me to go. Tom and I got into an argument because I was focusing on three airlines, so that I could get Frequent Flier Miles, and he wanted me to fly jet service the whole way. Unfortunately, jet service would cost $100+ more, and the cheaper the better was one of my criteria. He thinks big jets are safer, I'm not convinced of that. I eventually booked a cheap flight on Puddlejumpers and haven't told him, yet. While medicating, napping, and watching football, I constructed two ATC's and even tried out the Cuttlebug. It's cool, and I can't wait to get some dies and embossing folders to do some more fun stuff. At least it'll be easy gifts for the family to get me for Christmas. I am pleased with how my ATC's turned out, and can't wait to put the final touches on them and send them out.